Back Durham Dynamos but don’t back Twenty20 to take over the world

Take Durham Dynamos at a very very generous 4/1 with Coral - open an account and get a £10 free bet

When Allen Stanford landed his helicopter on the sacred picnic grounds at Lords (and yes, they are sacred too), many among cricket's establishment leapt from their over-stuffed hampers, dusted down their crusty ties and kneeled at the feet of the one who could finally make them as rich as an Indian wicketkeeper. Ian Botham and Viv Richards didn't think twice about being photographed with the moustachioed moneyman from Texas and his plexiglass box of cash. To be honest, they looked foolish. Here's a sugar daddy and we're not even blinking before grabbing his cash and nodding at every suggestion he throws up.

Twenty20 is a huge success. The counties know that they can pack people in for £20 for three hours of an evening after work and they'll probably have as many people in one night as they would do for the whole of the championship season. In many ways, we have already got it right in this country - in India, they literally had to give the tickets away to fill the stadiums, and many of the clubs owners have admitted that they won't see a profit for many years. For them, it's profile. In England, as Allen Stanford has noticed, Twenty20 makes money.

The leaked report last week that proposed a breakaway league in June, therefore, should not come as a surprise. There will always be those who want to milk the cow until the udders run dry - but at what cost? Here are some impacts we have already witnessed from Twenty20:

• Sri Lanka are supposed to be coming on tour to England - but will the players fulfil their international commitments or go to India to earn some serious moolah? Certain players might take early retirement just to avoid the internationals and get one final payday - and who can blame them?
• New young batsmen in England are adapting to the abbreviated form of the game to the detriment of Test (i.e. 'proper' cricket). I was at the Oval last week and saw Dawid Malan - an extremely talented batsman - hit 100 off about 60 balls. Amazing, but with a collection of cross-bat slogs, streaky edges and whallops. Luke Wright is hardly test class - and a host of batsmen across the country are coming through with a technique more suitable for the shorter format.
• With all this money - who doesn't want to play Twenty20? Even Michael Vaughan is trying to get in on the act - without much success. What happens when our best England captain for decades is captaining a side full of multi-millionnaires, fresh from the Stanford moolah-fest against the Windies?
• Northamptonshire won't even let Monty Panesar play - instead they've got a host of South Africans on the Kolpak ruling, while Monty watches from the sidelines. Hardly the best preparation for our number 1 spinner.

Twenty20 should not be the end of tradition. Already, it is threatening to rip apart the county system, with the "top 9" threatening to break away and form a franchise competition. It should not be to the detriment of Test cricket and the development of players for test cricket. The ICC and the EWCB need to build Twenty20 into the English season with the involvement of all counties - not the greedy few.

Twenty20 is fun - and it should remain so. An opportunity for under-paid cricketers to make some money - and the opportunity for crowds to enjoy a few hours in the evening sunshine. But it should not be a vehicle for Allen Stanford and his ilk, whose sole aim is to get the attention of the financial institutions in London by promoting himself through cricket. Ian and Viv should have seen that coming.

So - if you're looking for a bit of fun with the Twenty20 Cup, Finals Day is almost upon us and while Essex have been setting the game on fire with Graham Napier's amazing performances, take note that these finals are NOT at Chelmsford. Look to the Durham Dynamos, at a horribly generous 4/1 with Coral (and get a free bet with it) and you could wind up with another £40 in your pocket. Not quite as much as an Indian wicketkeeper, but you're getting there.

published: 16th July 2008 by Free Bet Bookmaker

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